What is a cardiologist – and what do they do?
Cardiologists are a type of physician. This means they are a hospital-based doctor (who does not do operations). They have had extra training in preventing, diagnosing and treating heart conditions.
They are experts on the heart muscle itself (and how it works) and the arteries and veins that carry blood to and from it.
The main diseases they look after are ischaemic heart disease (IHD), chronic heart failure (CHF), and diseases of the heart valves and ryththm.
There are different types of cardiologist.
Types of cardiologist
Here are some of the most common types of cardiologists.
General cardiologist – a heart doctor who looks after adults with all types of heart disease
Paediatric cardiologist – a heart doctor who treats heart conditions that are present from birth or arise during childhood
Heart failure cardiologist – a heart doctor who has special training in managing patients with heart failure
Interventional cardiologist – a heart doctor who uses non-surgical procedures (like coronary angiogram/plasties) to repair damaged or weakened arteries, valves and other parts of the heart
Electrophysiologist – a heart doctor who specialises in the heart’s electrical system and treats irregular heart rhythms
Who do cardiologists work with?
Cardiologists work closely with cardiovascular surgeons, who do operations on the heart.
They also work with other types of hospital-based physician (all non surgeons), including ones that look after patients with diabetes (diabetologist) and CKD (nephrologist).
